1704/Act 10: Moon Moon

Act 10: Moon Moon
Date of Scene:	27 June 2024
Location:	The Moon
Synopsis:	The Senshi (and Naru!) are taking a trip to the Moon, in search of a variety of important artifacts. The fallen Moon Kingdom is a place of many memories, but there is much for our heroes to gain.
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Mamoru Chiba, Ami Mizuno, Naru Osaka, Michiru Kaiou, Setsuna Meiou, Haruka Tenoh, Makoto Kino, Rei Hino, Minako Aino

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Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Gathered in their henshins, the Sailor Guardians of nine celestial bodies (and one Naru, standing in a fully functioning astrosuit thanks to the power of one nifty Disguise Pen) had joined hands and energy for one common purpose - a visit to the Moon, and the fallen Capital City in Mare Serenitatis. At Ami's recommendation, the Senshi had chosen the observation deck of Starlight Tower as the launching point for their Sailor Teleport, as the out of the way location and unobstructed view of the Moon offered the best chances for a successful transport.

She had been right, of course; months Starlight Tower had been the site of an attack at Zoisite's direction, and the location was still rebuilding from the damage, the unique crystalline structure of the place causing delays in the reconstruction.

In the twilight hours of the evening, with school and work having long been let out for the vast majority of people, with even cram schools having released their dedicated students, the never-stopping city of Tokyo had begun to slow, citizens ambling towards home and safety.

On a warm and humid evening like this, they were all consumed with their own thoughts, their own lives - no one was looking to be at Starlight Tower, and no one was watching the sky as a rainbow streak of light launched from the tower, into the sky, through the clouds, punching through all five layers of the atmosphere, all to land with a bone-jarring thud upon the surface of the Moon.

Usagi Tsukino sucks in a breath on reflex, only to squeak as she remembers, oh no, Moon, there's no -

But as it turns out, wrapped in her Sailor Moon guise, she can breathe just fine. She has no idea how that works, and the Moon 'air' is cold and bracing, absent any scents other than dust and stone.

"We made it!" She breathes out, giddy with success and nerves, squeezing Mamoru hand of course she'd made sure to grab one of his hands for the teleport - and upon looking around she, and everyone else for that matter, will see that they stand in what had been the labyrinth garden in the Moon Kingdom's Capital City. Those gardens are gone, now, but the stone-work and irrigation paths, the soil which fed them, the piping and structures which provided water (now long dry) are still present. The park benches, the 'vending' machines, the signage, it's all there.

And beyond the gardens, the Capital City still stands, half-burnt, half-toppled, but still there, still navigable, still recognizable as the city under siege that they walked in Beryl's time bubble. What's absent makes the sight easier to bear - there is no smoke, no fire, no screams and cries, no waging war, no bodies in the streets - just an empty, lonely city.

"Well," Usagi says, and her voice shakes just a little, and her smile quivers just a little, before she puffs up and smiles bright and warm, "At least it'll be easy for us to find our way, right?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru keeps his eyes shut, actually, behind the mask. The bone-jarring thud is fantastically unexpected, though, and makes him open his eyes in a hurry, all his breath exhaled in startlement. He breathes without thinking about it, and only after the fact does he swallow down a miniature freakout almost as good as Usagi's squeak.

But she was right: he can breathe, too.

Don't make an atmosphere joke. Don't. Don't do it, the Mamoru part of his memories is saying while the Endymion part of his memories is just squeezing Usagi's hand back and trying not to feel grim.

There's nothing left in the ruins but silence, their voices acoustically flat-- they can hear each other, but the...

His mind shies away from the logic that doesn't get along with the magic, and he forces himself to accept the affront to physics with the same good cheer as he can accept all the other affronts to physics that make up his daily life. It still sounds spooky, with no echoes of their voices off the ruins.

He sees the emptiness that used to be the gardens, and has trouble letting go of Sailor Moon's hand; he won't let go until she does. That, at least, is almost normal.

"Yeah. Naru, do we need to turn this station wagon around, or are you doing okay?" Tuxedo Mask asks the astronaut.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Sailor Mercury has her own eyes closed to focus on the teleport though her face is faintly illuminated by the readouts scrolling across the shimmering surface of her Mercury Visor. Readings are being taken of both the moon and of Naru in case there's some issue with the magic that allowed her to theoreticaly actually *become* an astronaut for the duration.

That little thump comes, and she squeezes the hands of both who she holds onto: Sailor Moon likely on one side, and whomever else on the other having had the circle created. Her eyes snap open to see the current readouts just as Tuxedo Mask asks Naru how she's doing.

"Yes, we should be alright it seems, but I worry about how thorough the magic is for the disguise pen." A disguise wasn't the same as reality, right? But in this case hopefully magic wouldn't know the difference and would protect their friend.

It's only then that she allows her gaze to slide PAST the group to the ruins they were in. Seeing what had once been a city she was familiar with. It's time for her breath to hitch, and a firm shake of her head to come.

"It's still here. It's... I didn't think we would find this much."

Naru Osaka has posed:
There was a lot of breath holding and eyes closed and Naru tries not to squeeze the living snot out of the hands of the people on either side of her. If anyone asked her, she would totally have been confident on the powers of the disguise pen to provide.

Naru was terrified it was not going to work.

There's only so long one can hold their breath before they HAVE to try breathing on the moon with only the powers of illusion to protect them. Naru gasps a little, having waited just a smidge longer than she should have, but her concerns were for naught. She's fine. She can breathe.

"I'm good!" Naru opens her eyes and looks over to those who were just as worried as she was and gives a thumbs up to go with her words. Her next few breaths have that edge of relief as she settles into breathing normally.

Naru looks around at the wreckage of a former city around them and then back to the others. "It's like an archeological dig, or something."

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
    Sailor Neptune also has her eyes closed to focus on the teleport. It is so much easier to feel the flow of magic when she shuts one sense out entirely. One hand is holding Uranus' while the other is holding someone else's. Someone else whose hand she lets go just two heartbeats after they thump down onto the moon's surface.

    There's a moment of worry on her face as she goes to draw her first breath, and then it's gone, the panic replaced by her usual calm smile. She takes a look around, turning slowly on the spot, taking it all in. The ruins. The silence. It was all quite something. She didn't have words.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As the teleport resolves on the surface of the Moon, Sailor Pluto takes the thumping landing with aplomb, more concerned (as Ami is) with how well Naru's dealing with the situation under the effects of the Disguise Pen.

While she's pretty certain there won't be any issues...in the event there ARE, she's prepared herself to do an emergency grab and step to the Gates, as she can do that faster than a proper Sailor Teleport can charge and launch.

When it becomes evident that even said small worries were unfounded, she smiles and nods slightly...then turns to survey her surroundings.

A slight frown crosses her face as she sees the ruins and she lets out a small sigh as she softly says, "...I'd almost have preferred to see just the sea of dust that astronomer's see..."

Pluto shakes her head as she does her best to dismiss memories of the fallen from the last time she saw these locations, "Still, this should make it a bit easier to find things."

If the unnatural quiet bothers her, she dosn't show it...then again, she's spent a LOT of time in a place that's similarly quiet...so perhaps it doesn't?

At Mercury's comment, she nods, "Neither did I. Apparently the Veil or some similar effect is concealing all this."

She hrms and taps her lips as she takes a moment to orient herself, then she looks over at Sailor Moon and points in another direction, "Alright, the City Gates should be over that way, which is where we'll find Mars' bow."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
FIX IN POST "Easy. Yeah." Sailor Uranus said, looking around. There's a sort of dulled tone to her voice. It's not on fire, but this place is not one of happiness for her. It's a silent testament to a failure that while she knows now she couldn't really have prevented, still happened. And the thing about guilt is, it doesn't need to be entirely rational. Or fair.

She takes a deep 'breath' and tries to center herself, to push away the negatives. "Let me know how I can help, Sere... Sailor Moon."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
As Naru confirms that she can breathe, Usagi lets out a huge sigh of relief. "I knew that would work!"

And she did. Ninety percent. More positive than she ever was on a test.

"But now that we know it works, I guess there's nothing to wait on, right?" Her eyes skim the city once more, and she nods, slowly, at the conversation. "I wonder. I mean, if it was just the Veil, we'd probably see signs, right? We can all still see magical stuff that's been recorded. But... maybe my mother did something, to make sure this place wouldn't be disturbed. And I guess, if it doesn't rain or snow or anything..."

The buildings remain as they were. As they are, now.

Looking around at everyone, at every face, she looks to Sailor Uranus and smiles. "We just need to follow Dungeon Master's lead. Um... that's the right word, right Suna-san? Bow-kun taught me about it at the tabletop game..."

A little lightening of the mood, as they follow Setsuna's lead to the place Sailor Mars made her final stand, and where her Mars Bow has sat in wait all this time.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Giving Naru a big thumbs-up after he lets go of whoever else he was holding hands with, Mamoru still doesn't let go. But his relief is real, and he pays close attention to the other senshi, watching-- watching Haruka with a little concern, too. Nobody's really all right here, but any time there's name-slippage from Uranus, she's really not in a good space. He makes himself look away, watching the other faces, then scanning the city, then looking at the ground-- he almost, almost wants to touch it, but that would be picking a scab, too.

The little paffs of slow-settling dust when people walk -- it reminds Mamoru of ash, and he can't look at it for long, and he thinks, maybe coming was a mistake.

And then he sees an alcove on the way between the labyrinth and the gates, and his free hand comes up to cover his mouth for a second, and then as they're walking, Mamoru bends to really quietly whisper to Usagi, "Look, it's the first place we almost got caught making out--!"

RIP, whispering in deathly silence isn't as subtle as you think it is, Tuxedo Kamen.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Oh, that's just how space is as well. Other than the occasional impact from space debris, asteroids and the like, since there's no real atmosphere on the moon to speak of it means that things are left relatively untouched."

Sailor Mercury gestures down to the soft white ground with a lift of her gloved hand. "That's how we're still able to see the foot prints left by the United States astronauts that visited, too. There's no wind or rain to shift things around. Although," she adds looking over the ruins again with a small thoughtful frown. "These are in remarkably good shape given the length of time that has passed, regardless." A pause before she adds, maybe just a bit quieter, "Then again it would be difficult to tell what was damaged from the past ordeal compared to a small asteroid strike."

And as Tuxedo Kamen mentions the 'almost getting caught' she pipes up with, "You did get caught, I just decided I didn't want to stop a murder and distracted Sailor Mars from noticing you."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"If we have character sheets for this.." Naru starts at Usagi's quip about following the Dungeon Master's lead and she smiles, trying to capitalize on lightening the mood a bit.

There's a little snicker that comes at the 'quiet' whisper from Tux. "Seriously? First time? I'm sure I caught you guys before that.. didn't I?" She might have, she mgiht not have. She might not count as 'catching', but the teasing is also light, gentle bits of normalacy shoved as an overlay to the inherent heavy of the location.

"So.. where ARE we headed for?" Naru asks the group as a whole.

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
    She said the thing to do was follow Pluto's lead, so that's what Neptune did. With a glance aside to Uranus and a squeeze of her hand, she followed along. She purses her lips in a tight little smirk that lasts a few heartbeats and then is gone. As she looks around, she holds on to her hope that this won't be their future.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Sailor Pluto snorts, "To sound correct, it's 'THE Dungeon Master's lead' or 'YOUR Dungeon Master's lead', but otherwise yes. Though given that you're not orchestrating all of this from some position on high, it might be more accurate to say 'The Party's Leader', as that's more accurate."

She appreciates the mood lightening, as this is going to be an endeavor that really needs it...and there are worse ways to distract than bantering back and forth about TTRPG terminology and general linguistic semantics.

After a not terribly long walk, Sailor Pluto looks around, checks a few things, then waves towards a certain ruined building a few blocks away from the ruins of the walls and gates, "...alright, Mars' Bow should be somewhere around there...I could only measure to within a ten or twelve meter radius...but if you walk a simple grid, you should be drawn to it when you're within a meter or two. The rest of us should probably wait over here so we don't mark up the area. The one advantage of the dust is that'll be really easy for you to see where you've already walked."

She then summons the Garnet Rod and leans against it as she says, "...now that I think about it, playing a tabletop RPG isn't the worst thing in the world for learning small unit tactics."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You caught us?!" Sailor Moon squeaks, and if her voice can't carry far due to the lack of, well, air, it certainly is notable enough to everyone. The embarrassment would be a lot worse if she and Mamoru hadn't been caught kissing in all kinds of places, all the time. "Thanks for saving us from Mars..."

The sweatdrop can be scene from space. Ha! Space.

"Huh... you know, Naru-chan, that's like, probably a good question? Because on the one hand, Endychan and I were definitely together since we were like thirteen, but, on the other hand, we didn't remember all of that until after you caught us making kissing like five times -"

Naru is such a good roommate. Such a good friend. So patient. So loving. So not kicking them out for being the most obnoxious couple on the planet.

"We're looking for artifacts! The Mars Bow, the Sage Lyre, the Leaves of Oak, and the Holy Sword, plus, like, anything else that might be useful." She winces. "I know it sounds like we're grave robbing, but, I mean.. it's our stuff, at least?"

Sailor Pluto guides them onwards, and as Sailor Mars splits from the group, solemnly stepping forward to search for and retrieve her bow, Sailor Moon watches her go, looking back to the others.

"Venus killed Beryl, with the sword. With all the readings Ami-chan's been picking up on the enemy... it just seemed like a good idea to get the weapons we need now, instead of later."

A pause.

"So, there's a difference between a party leader and a dungeon master? Bow's probably going to be disappointed I didn't know that..."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"You can't reeeeeally rob your own grave, probably," Mamoru agrees because it's so much better to talk about than getting caught and getting caught and getting caught, and if he sounds a little uncertain, he rallies by adding, "and besides, like Naru said, we could also be archaeologists."

A beat.

"I'm glad nobody can see the ruins from Earth," he says more softly. "I wouldn't want astronaut-archaeologists rooting around here. Nobody has the right to touch it but all of you."

He's still tempted-- his free hand almost aches to sift fingers through the dust and say hello to the Moon the way he says hello to Earth-- but he knows that the only life connected to the Moon is what's in his other hand, and he doesn't want the inevitable echoing emptiness to rattle through their connection and make this worse.

"The party leader's whichever of the characters is in charge of that adventure. The Dungeon Master's not a character-- they're the one controlling the monsters and the extras, who tells the players of the characters when to roll dice."

Another pause. "And you absolutely did not catch us every time. I got good at being able to tell where you all were."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Cheater." Sailor Mercury is of course merely kidding as she makes that remark toward Tuxedo Kamen with a little bit of a grin, and fondness to her tone. Her eyes skirt over to Naru looking her over again as she finds herself chuckling. "They think they're pretty clever but we all know an elephant could walk up to them and they wouldn't notice." Of course, she may be just as bad. Maybe. Just a little.

As Mars goes off to look for the bow she glances over the ruins again allowing her gaze to turn toward where she knew her own object may be found. It was still quite a way off. "Yes. This is... Somber, but it's ours. I feel better knowing that at least. I do wonder if ours are the only artifacts left though. Perhaps some art survived, or other peices that were culturally significant."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"So really you're sort of the Fellowship of the Ring, except that you've lost all of your stuff." Naru muses and then laughs and shakes her head. "So.. not at all like the Fellowship, but you know what I mean."

Because trust Naru to have actually been paying any sort of attention in English literature, and actually have read /ahead/. Or perhaps seen the movies. More likely she read the books.

"It's totally your stuff." Naru agrees with a nod, a hand absently reaching up to touch a pendant she's been wearing lately, even if its through the disguise of her astrosuit. "And you should have it back. Its not doing anyone any good up here, now is it?"

Naru snickers softly at Tux. "You are very hard to sneak up on." She points out.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Pluto nods to Tuxedo, "Yes. The Dungeon Master may be a crucial part of the STORY, but they are not one of the PLAYERS."

She taps her chin, "When we get back, I'll send you a link to some videos that show actual people playing a game."

She doesn't mention that said video will be in English only...but what better way to encourage the notoriously reluctant Usagi to learn?

She then snorts, "If we're the Fellowship, I'm obviously Gandalf. Tuxedo should be Aragorn, but try not to break your foot this time."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"So the Dungeon Master is controlling the monster AI, instead of fighting alongside us, that makes sense, that sounds fun! I mean, being a player sounds fun too, but... sure! I'll watch some videos" Sailor Moon nods rapidly, utterly unaware of the trick Setsuna is playing on her... and also absolutely not acknowledging anything further about being caught, aside from smirking when Mamoru says he hasn't let them be caught every time. They've outlasted Luna! There's no way her very delightful friends could have ever defeated them.

"The Lord of the Rings... those are those really long American movies, right?" She asks, bringing pain to every soul, but soon after, a flash of movement and color catches her eye, and she turns.

Sailor Mars returns to the group, solemn and quiet, and a red bow is held in hands - it disappears in a flash of flame once they've had a chance to absorb that she found it. Sailor Moon hugs her, of course, hard and tight, then releases her -

"To the Palace. That's closest, and that's where... that's where we saw Venus fall."

With their light-hearted conversation, the walk isn't as solemn as it could be - and time and the end of all things has been kind, because there are no bodies, no blood, none of the more visceral reminders of everything that was and no longer is. There are only buildings and objects, every day items long forgotten.

She's glad too, that no one can see this place. It's home. It's theirs. Like the Forgotten District, this too is a monument to lives lived and loved and lost.

And then they climb the stairs - those damaged, pitted stairs, where Venus made her stand against the forces of Earth, against Kunzite, against Jadeite, against Beryl herself, even, before finding her death -

And the Holy Sword is not where Venus fell. Instead, when they reach that place, there is nothing but the fallen pillar, where Queen Serenity and two loyal cats met their end - and a faintly glowing circle.

"Well, this isn't ominous," Sailor Moon mutters, and then - "Come on, into the circle everyone!"

And she darts in and disappears.

Mamoru can still feel her through their connection - a little farther away but definitely still on the Moon.

When they follow her through? They are deep in the Moon Palace, outside a shining doorway, where within a pillar of crystal shines dully. Sheathed in stone is a grand sword.

"It's not reckless if my mama set it up," Sailor Moon says hurriedly, before anyone can scold her. "And I found it! Look!"

For most of them, this holy place, at deepest level of the center of the Moon Palace, is familiar, even if only vaguely. Naru, even, has seen it, through the time bubble. And yet, when they enter the room, light shines - from the Silver Crystal in the Crescent Wand Sailor Moon now holds, and from a small object on Naru's person, shining even through her space suit.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
He doesn't even have time to go 'she's okay!', there's no point in going 'she's okay!' when they're literally all about to just jump in after her, right? That's exactly how everyone will react to this, right? This time, Mamoru doesn't have to hold himself back, he leaps through directly after Usagi, his cape fluttering behind him until it, too, vanishes.

"Reckless is fine anyway," Tuxedo Kamen says recklessly, flipping his cape back as he straightens and pretends his heart didn't skip a beat.

Which it did.

And then he's glancing around the room instead of at the sword, and he falters slightly, silently half-stepping back away from the shining doorway, from the holy crystal heart of the prayer tower--

He remembers the one time he was here.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Sailor Mercury holds back just a moment as everyone else rushes through. Portals. Though she saw clearly this one was different then the ones they'd gone through a multitude of times not long ago she can't help but recall that similarity.

Once everyone else is through she steps through as well at a far more sedate pace than Sailor Moon, and her tall thing.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"They're kinda long." Naru will allow on the topic of the American movies. "But they're so PRETTY." Not that someone can relate with Sam oh so very much. Even if she's not that big of a fan of potatoes.

The climb up the stairs is a quiet one, even with the attempts at a lighter mood permeating things, and the circle at the top?

Sailor Moon is into it before Naru can even draw breath enough to protest.. but it's fine. It's FINE! It's literally fine, not just /fine/.

"Woah." Naru breathes as she follows through the circle and emerges into the depths of the Moon Palace. She's seen it in the time bubbles, but those felt so much like she was just an observer. As if she was walking through animatronics and dioramas, with little to do with HER.

This time. This time is different. The glow from Silver Crystal to the Sword. The glow from the Sword to the delicate filagree necklace that Naru wears.

Naru moves on instinct, taking the steps forward towards that glowing Sword and with as much thought as Sailor Moon put into hopping through the portal, she draws that sword out of the stone.

Naru does not become a King.

Instead, Naru holds the sword aloft, the glow growing to encompass the room, and to wash over her. Where she was in a disguise pen provided astrosuit before, now she has pauldrons of dull silver, a skirt of gently overlapping plates, a helm with filagree details very much like that pendant that glows along with her.

Naru pauses, as if she's only just realizing what has happened, and that she's holding a really Big Damn Sword. And is transformed. "Um."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Sailor Pluto follows along, absently pondering whether to go the simple and straightforward route of sending Usagi Critical Role videos...or going the more absurd route of sending her Dimension 20 videos.

Decisions, decisions.

Her ponderings are interrupted as they arrive at the site of the final battle...and the glowing circle.

She blinks as Usagi impulsively goes running into the obviously magical circle.

She shakes her head, then follows along, and once inside she scowls at Moon, "Your logic isn't wholly wrong in this instance...but perhaps next time let us all go in TOGETHER so that in the miniscule chance you're WRONG, we'll be in a better tactical position?"

Yeah, just for this. It's Dimension 20. Maybe the Crown of Candy as that one takes some massive unexpected twists.

A glance is given over at Naru as she points at the glowing spot, "...Hrm...Naru-chan...you've got a thing..."

And then Naru is...entranced and walking forwards.

For a moment, Pluto has the impulse to grab her and yank her back...if this were a TTG, Naru would obviously be under some kind of mind control effect right now...but the time and place are really wrong for that...so she holds back...and then Naru is transformed, and Sailor Pluto stands there, blinking.

After a few moments, she shakes her head, "...okay, I can say that I did NOT see that coming."

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus, having followed the group in (while staying quite close to Neptune and as close as is also reasonably possible to Sailor Pluto as well) and catching Naru just at the end of her henshin sequence, puts a hand on her hip. "You know, I had to transform before I was able to draw my magic space sword." she says, keeping it mostly cool.

    And then after a moment, she also adds, "Good thing Saturn is known for having a glaive, and not a sword, or I might be a little bit more panicked." she says. "That aside... WHAT!?" she says, finally gesturing emphatically at Naru.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Jupiter has been... quiet. Pensive, even, as they've made this sojourn to the site of the lost Moon Kingdom to see what's to be seen here. She's not so distracted as to be easily left behind, though - and she didn't hesitate a beat before following Sailor Moon into the glowing circle.

She blinks once or twice at Naru, slowly. "...I'd say something about pulling swords out of stones and what traditionally comes next," she comments after a moment or two, "but it seems like it'd be in kind of bad taste at the moment. So instead I'll just say... congratulations? I guess?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
    Sailor Neptune had continued to follow Pluto, keeping alongside Uranus. So, she too, steps in just as Naru's completing her henshin. There's a glance aside toward Uranus, and then Neptune smirks. She just takes another step closer and lifts a hand to place it on Uranus' upper arm, like a reassurance. "What a delightful surprise," she says brightly, smiling toward Naru. "And such impressive armor." Her brow stitches together. It's very curious.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Mars has been reserved and in the background for most things, and she lets out a breath as Uranus reacts to Naru's transformation. She purses her lips a brief moment, her eyebrows rising up as she gives a small motion of her gloved hand to Naru.

    "Okay, yes, slightly worrying, but surely we've had stranger things cross our paths?"

    Like Etherians.

    "It really does make sense that she would join ranks with everyone..." she trails off, and her dark brows knit. "Right?"

Minako Aino has posed:
Stranger things indeed, though Venus could help give a little exhale and nod in agreement with the congratulations.

"So does...this make you some kind of Moon Knight?"

Looking to Mars, there's a shrug from the blonde. Destiny was funny that way.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, at Sailor Pluto's rebuke, though Mamoru's support draws a smile. Of course he would support her in recklessness - his guardians have barely let him out of their sight in weeks.

Besides, was it really that reckless? It worked, didn't it?

But, there's something that draws attention more than her own recklessness - it's the glowing spot, at Naru's neck, and then it's Naru herself, sweeping forward to pull an overly large sword from the stone, and then there's a flash of light, and Naru is...

"Naru-chan! You look amazing!" A sword, and armor, the look of a knight, but as cute as it was protective. Sailor Moon circles Naru, taking in her new transformation from every angle. "But you're not a Senshi, so I wonder..."

Mars is right - it only makes sense that Naru's magic would be something like theirs, that she would fit, and she's clearly, definitely some kind of knight, but -

"What a joy it is, to see you all," a new but all too familiar voice says from behind Sailor Moon. There's an unnatural edge to it, like a recording, and when Sailor Moon turns around, she sees what all the rest of them see:

Queen Serenity, or at least, the image of her, projected upon the Crystal Tower. She is at once wan and tired, but aglow with success, and relief.

Sailor Moon stumbles back towards Tuxedo Kamen, staring, stricken. All she can manage is -

"Mother?"

"Serenity," the fallen Queen says, and there is love in her eyes, relief and regret alike. She looks at her daughter for a long moment, before looking to each of the gathered in turn. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Endymion... the Outer Guardians - Uranus, Neptune, Pluto... and even a knight. What a grand gathering you are, what a sight to set the heart at ease. I am the last will of Queen Serenity, a hologram maintained by Eternity Main, our computer systems. I have waited here, until the day you returned to our kingdom once more, with the hope that I could share with you one final time, and arm you with the knowledge to protect Serenity, and the Earth."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's henshining going on, and Mamoru's staring. He glances at the others reacting, eyebrows lifting up above his mask, and he offers to Naru, "That looks like a sword with a name." What else can he actually say? Oh, there's something, yeah. "Right. We've only been waiting for her to transform for like a year," he tells Rei, starting to grin--

--and then there's another voice, one he last heard, oh, five months ago? Six? A lifetime ago, and Usagi's stumbling back to him, and he catches her; of course he won't let her fall. He won't let her fall, but at the same time, his eyes are wide.

A ghost, is the first thing he thinks, though she was alive and worried and praying the last time he saw her. A ghost. But everyone else can hear her, can see her, as well -- and she's speaking to all of them. And then the explanation's right there:

A recording. An AI, more than a recording but less than a ghost...

His hands squeeze Usagi lightly, briefly, and he silently stands to support her in whatever way she needs it: it's not his place to speak first, if at all.

They all work to protect Earth, now.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Terrible way to form a government." Naru quips absently to Jupiter before she uhhs softly to the various questions. "I .. have no idea." She admits to Venus' question about being a Moon Knight. She looks down at herself and then back up, and she can't help but laugh, shaking her head slowly. "If it has a name, Tux, it hasn't told me yet. We've barely met each other yet."

It's instinct to put her sword away, which is a mercy because Naru couldn't tell you what exactly she did with it, save that now she's no longer carrying a Really Big Damn Sword and she steps back at the familiar voice. There's colour in her cheeks, as if somehow Queen Serenity's hologram has inturrupted her doing something she wasn't supposed to. She too falls quiet, watching and listening as she so often does.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Neptune's hand on Uranus' shoulder is absolutely a steadying force, and it calms her. Which is good, because shortly after Naru becomes whoever-she-is-now, the sudden surprises of things do not stop. For the second time in, frankly, just a few moments, the presence of the elder Serenity gives Sailor Uranus something she has to tamp down any kind of inward confusion about.

    She wants to talk, but she also can't help but feel like the first person to talk to maybe-an-AI Original Sernity shouldn't be her - even despite some misgivings about orders and situations, Sailor Uranus maintains some level of deference to protocol in the face of an actual figure of the woman who was once Queen of the Moon (and with it, really, the Sol System).

    The emotions that seeing Silmil Serenity again brings up are many and complicated, so she natively and subconsciously scoots closer to Neptune. But she waits for Usagi, for Princess Serenity to speak to Queen Serenity. For the moment.

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
    Neptune's eyes snap up to Queen Serenity just as soon as she appears. Her hand slides down Uranus' arm to lace her fingers with the other girl and give her hand a squeeze. It's a quiet reassurance because this isn't their time to speak. Turning her attention toward the others, she looks to Sailor Moon with concern and curiosity on her face.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Endymion's comment about the expectation of Naru's transformation gets a contemplative look from Sailor Pluto...and after a moment or two, she finds herself nodding in agreement and sighs, "...and I really SHOULD have seen that coming, to be frank what with all the things that have happened."

At the sound of the Queen's voice a moment later, however, Sailor Pluto blinks and twitches in a way that her fellow Outers, at least (and maybe some of the others) will probably recognize as her supressing a start of surprise.

That voice...has a LOT of complicated emotions around it...but after a moment, she shakes her head and turns to look at the image of the Queen.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Jupiter cracks a rueful grin at Naru - and startles, spine stiffening with a reflexive jolt, as the unexpected voice speaks. She regards the image of Queen Serenity with wide eyes; it must be some kind of deeply rooted instinct that has her inclining her head and subtly shifting her stance to one that Makoto Kino doesn't often have cause to assume.

Her memories of that other life are few, but even she knows who this is. Or was. "Queen Serenity..." Her voice is soft.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Mars allows a momentary expression of wonder to cross her face as Queen Serenity -- or at least her visage -- makes an appearance. She hitches her breath a moment, her heels tapping lightly against the ground as she shifts her weight uncomfortably, looking between Moon and Serenity. She feels her breath freeze in her throat, though her eyes dart to Venus.

Minako Aino has posed:
The voice? It brings back memories half-fogged from her previous life, but it's still enough to have the Senshi of love gasping a little as she turns to face the image, blinking. "Wow..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A hologram. A recording. Not a miracle, then, but a plan, a last will, left by a woman who was alive, when Serenity last saw her, when Usagi last saw her -

But also, a woman who had used the Silver Crystal to create a miracle. Is it foolish, that in Usagi's heart, in Serenity's heart, she had hoped that her mother still lived?

Tuxedo Kamen is silent and strong behind her, his hands on her shoulders, bracing her, and Sailor Moon blinks away tears, swallows down grief and regrets, twitches her fingers against the overwhelming want to throw her arms around a woman long, long gone.

Aside from Sailor Jupiter's soft utterance of Serenity's name and title, everyone is silent, and still, and looking, and Sailor Moon is very sure that they're waiting for her.

Best to not disappoint them. "Mother," and oh, there's that quake in her voice, "Please, share with us anything that you can. We know - we know that our enemy is Beryl, and we know that her benefactor is Metallia, that she came from the Sun, but - what else is there? We - Mercury has been working on tracking Metallia, so we can find and put a stop to her, prevent Beryl from rising to power as she did before, but -"

She falters. But what else can they do? Is it enough?

The Queen's image looks to her daughter, and tilts her head back, a look of contemplation on her face, before she says -

"In the years leading up to our end, there came a year in which Our Father, the Sun, plunged into a period of irregular, frantic activity, giving off a unique, bizarre radiance. We had never, in all our history, seen such a thing. But from that activity was born Metallia, she who devours, an enemy of creation itself. I was able to seal her away, but having lost you, in my sorrow, in my grief, my power fractured. It was not within my ability to destroy her - only to trap her, deep within the Earth. She lurks there still, and if she has woken, it is somewhere, underground, within the Earth that you will find her. Having left the Sun, it will spurn her while she is weak, but when her power is restored, she will emerge again -"

There had been a miasma, that surrounded the Earth, a darkness that swallowed the planet even as it burned, reaching out for the Moon, the for the other planets. In those last hours within the Time Bubble, they had all seen it - seen her.

"The power to purify, and burn away the darkness, is necessary to destroy her. Your Silver Crystal can do it, Serenity. In your hands, with your allies, you can do what I could not. She cannot corrupt you if you know the threat you face, and so her greatest danger is blunted. But just as she has reclaimed her greatest tool, Beryl, she will seek to claim others."

Usagi thought of Mamoru, young and found by Beryl, by Obsidian. She thinks of the Shitennou, found by their prince in turn, claimed again by an evil that had tainted them again, turned them.

"We've seen that," she says, softly, "And together, we were able to get them back."

The hologram of Queen Serenity nods.

"The Holy Sword, too, is an object of purification. It too, can damage Beryl. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus - the Holy Sword is yours to wield, to protect your princess."

A portion of the Crystal Tower glows, and from the marble floors, a spike of crystal grows, a stone hilt within it.

"Claim it now, Venus. In defense of our kingdom, to avenge my daughter, you once used this sword to slay Beryl. Take hold of it again, and stand in her defense."

After the sword has been taken, she will look to them all.

"My time is limited, but I have within me the knowledge of all our computer systems, and many pieces of Queen Serenity's personality. It is my nature, as her final will, her final testament. There are questions I am sure you have - questions for the fight ahead, but, I am sure, questions of... other natures. Of other matters, answers that you may seek. Speak, now. Unburden your hearts, while you can."

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Well, Haruka was told to unburden her heart. Sailor Uranus is somewhat defferential and somewhat angry, but Haruka is a complicated ball of racer-girl and reborn Guardian, and therefore, has Questions.

    "What happened to the people of our planets?" She blurts out. "The people we were responsible for. The people of the Moon. Why is only the Earth full of people now?" she asks. She tries, really hard, to keep the accusational tone out of her voice. It's... a questionable success.

    And, then, really before it can be answered - as though it was a question that she was trying not to ask but it escaped anyways... "What were you trying to protect the Kingdom from that was more dangeorus than Beryl - that had us still stationed on the Outer Planets while Metallia's puppet razed the planet?" she asks, frustrated, hand clenching. "Why did we... have to... see the others... die, and just stand by to call Saturn only after it was all too late?" She asks.

    "I... don't know that our presence would have changed anything. I used to think so, but I've... seen those fights, now. But... Aren't we more than just... keys to be turned in case of an emergency? Aren't we Guardians too? I just want to know why Queen Serenity decided... that the foremost responsibility for the protection of the Moon, for the protection of Princess Serenity... why all the others were called to stop Beryl, but your focus on that seems to have... stopped after Jupiter's orbit." she says. "I want to hear that there was a reason... because if there was, I want to know if that reason - if that's something we should continue to be wary of, or if it's over now."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's the best explanation of Metallia he's ever heard, which makes sense; Tuxedo Kamen listens as attentively as he can, and-- the AI of Queen Serenity is right, there are so many questions. There are so many.

Metallia came from the Sun, but that the light spurns Metallia while she's weak? It makes so much sense...

He shifts behind Usagi, just his weight from one foot to the other, then centered. He watches, he listens. And after a quick glance around at the others, after Haruka speaks her honestly absolutely awesome question, Mamoru ventures his own. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but-- why didn't Earth have a Senshi? It's not-- it's not really relevant so other people's questions should come first, but if that was what kept us all apart from you, then why...? Why were we allowed to know about the people of the Moon at all, when we didn't have a Sailor, didn't have any chance of being a part of everything--?"

He doesn't sound aggrieved, just at a loss.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
(EDIT IN POST, questions from Ami!): Are there any remnants of civilization on the other planets too? Any other pocket dimension outposts? Other past enemies that may be in the SilMil records they should keep an eye out for?

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Sailor Pluto opens her mouth to ask a question or two...but then blinks and glances first one way, then another as Uranus and Mercury basically ask the questions she wondered about.

Another glance is given over to Tuxedo Kamen...as his question, too, is rather pertinent, but Pluto has what she thinks is a good guess of the answer already and is curious to see if she is right.

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
    She is sure that the others will have questions about the fight ahead. At this moment, much like Uranus, Neptune finds herself more concerned with questions of the past. She has a bone to pick with Queen Serenity.

    "I would like to know why it is that Sailor Saturn was made to only sleep until we came to awaken her, and why Sailor Pluto was made to stand eternally at the Gates. The rest of us all got to have lives," she says, gesturing to the other senshi, herself, and Uranus. "But those two were made to sacrifice everything for their duties. How is that good?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Erm." Naru starts and then looks down at her freshly henshined self and then back over to Sailor Moon a moment. She hesitates on her question, looking to different people as they ask detailed and relevant questions. Profound questions about the history of the worlds, their place within them.

Naru almost talks herself out of asking her oh so basic question, but she takes a slow breath and nods. "Queen Serenity." She greets first and then asks simply enough. "What.. exactly.. do you mean by Knight?" She gestures at herself and then looks around at the wide selection of senshi and then back to her besties Mom. The other Mom. "A knight of.. what? Or who?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
The others ask their questions - Ami, Mamoru. Neptune, Uranus. As for Sailor Jupiter, it seems the Senshi of Thunder has nothing to ask this image of the long-gone Queen. She keeps quiet, seeming perhaps a little uncertain as her eyes dart from one person to the next. She shifts her weight slightly from foot to foot, suddenly awkward in a way that's at odds with her usual grace.

Minako Aino has posed:
The sword, the sword that had haunted the edge of her dreams in the darkest moments of her previous life, the weapon she'd watched that vision of herself wield at the end and whose hilt she could swear she remembered holding in her gloved hands as her own life slipped away. It was there, waiting for her. Almost surreal, even as they were talking to a holographic AI of their fallen Queen and Serenity's mother.

The world seems to drown out for her as her heart hammers in her chest, a shiver up her spine as she looks to the others, to Rei, to Usagi herself almost hesitantly...then she steps forwards.

Gloved fingers move, white fabric fingertips sliping over the hilt and gently lifting it free, into her hand.

Eyes close as she feels its weight, familiar to part of her but new to her grasp before she gave it a gentle lift and then nods her head, lips parting with a little sigh.

A sword was never a gift really, for the memories it brought up and the promise of death it offered, but the blonde brings it down once more, nodding her head.

"I will wield it again, to protect Usagi, all of you, to my last breath."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There are many questions - as expected, as anticipated. Queen Serenity died knowing that she would leave business unfinished. She died, knowing that there were matters unresolved, wounds left unchecked.

And luckily, this computer hologram, this amalgamation of input memory and personality cores, of computer data and ancient records, is near-impossible to offend.

To Sailor Uranus's first, immediate question, is an honest, but complex, truth: "To your first question, Sailor Uranus... they were reborn on Earth. The people of the Moon, of Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, of the outposts, of every space that our protection fell... they were reborn on the Earth, for the Earth alone is a planet which can preserve life without artificial protections. Our technology is great, but I could not put hope that our people, reborn and fresh and new, would be able to regain their knowledge of it, should something go wrong. It would be a cruel thing, to be reborn on a planet which could lose it's atmosphere. Better, that our people be one people, reborn on the Earth as humans native to the world, than remain forever set apart, at risk."

This, flows naturally with Mamoru's questions, and it's Sailor Moon's turn to reach for Tuxedo Kamen's hand, to clutch it tight, as he shifts ahead to speak.

"Prince Endymion, the things I wish we could have shared," her voice is wistful, "Earth did have a Senshi, and it still does, now. It is your planet, is it not? You are the Soldier of Earth, the Guardian who protects this most precious planet. It was not for lack of a Senshi, that Earth was separate from Silver Millennium, but for - age. Development."

Perhaps an unsatisfactory answer, but she looks up, to where the Crystal Tower extends through the ceiling of this Chamber of Prayer.

"When we arrived in this system, we found a shining star, a world alight with life and wonder, and many, many barren worlds. We settled upon the Moon, as your people called it, and over the millennia, spread to the other worlds. We cultivated them, spread upon them, made them our own - but it was your world, alone, which life developed upon naturally. And so it was your world alone that should be allowed to develop at your own pace, in your own time, under your own power."

An answer, filled with truths and opinion alike, which may be unsatisfactory, but which is honest.

There are other questions, too, of the past, of other risks. Some are complex. Some are simple.

Naru asks one such question, that is quite simple. Queen Serenity looks at her, and she does not recognize her - but she does, all the same. "A Knight of Silver, in contrast to the Knights of Gold. Not a Sailor Guardian, but a guardian, nonetheless. The sword you carry is that of a knight of our Silver Millennium - and the power you bear, is your own, brought to life by the light of the Crystal Tower. In our time, knights such as you fought for the Silver Millennium... but our empire has fallen. Only you can decide if that is what you will still fight for."

Her attention is returned to Uranus, then, for the other questions - though of the past, they are scaling back, in time, and hers is a place to start.

"There are many threats, beyond our sun. Many, we escaped from, in the time when we founded our Kingdom. Many more, we wondered, waited, to see them come. There were battles, fought, as we expanded our Kingdom, as we spread to the planets, the Moons, established ourselves. I do not know, if those threats still exist in your time, so long separated from our Kingdom, and you three are the lock which could summon forth the Silence, and in the moment, I felt it essential, to preserve your lives, such that Saturn could be awakened."

A pause, a beat, a moment -

"I was wrong, to not summon you forth. You are more than keys to turn. You are guardians, and more than that, you are young people too, with a stake in our fight. I do not believe I calculated wrongly, in leaving you at your outposts. But I do know, that it was cruel, and worse than you deserved."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A beat, and she considers this, and Mercury's question, alike.

"There are other threats. The universe is a wide place, filled with chaos, with strife. There are those who will come, as we did, seeking a new world - but there are those who will come, as Metallia did, seeking to devour. We did not anticipate that such a being would be born within our system, within our Sun. There will always be threats, Sailor Uranus. But rather than splitting our focus, we could have called you home."

She doesn't have to breathe, but there's the sense of an exhale, anyway. "Lurking within the darkness of the Moon, lies an enemy long sealed away. Her name is Nehelenia, and she is Queen of the Dead Moon. I do not know when, or even if, she will be able to break the seal placed upon her - but if Metallia could, it may be within Nehelenia's power as well."

"As for remnants of our civilization, if nothing else, it is highly like that the castles dedicated to each of you who served as Guardians to our empire have survived. I cannot speak with confidence to any other structures, though as our Palace still stands beyond the Chamber of Prayer, others may as well. As for pocket dimensions... I confess, I am not certain of what you speak."

And finally, her gaze falls to Sailor Neptune, who speaks with such frustration, such anger on behalf of her fellow guardians.

"Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn are distinct circumstances, even from each other. As such, I will address their circumstances separately."

And she looks, then, to Sailor Pluto.

"Pluto... you should not serve eternally, at the Gates of Time." This may be a statement of thunderous impact, for Pluto. "For though you are the Soldier of Time, and through your father Chronos' blood, you are uniquely suited to protect the Gates, it is a lonely existence. I could never say it, in my life, for I... was afraid. You, best suited for the task, can be replaced by others, who too, may guard them."

"The Gates must never be unguarded, so long as they present a risk, but, it could have been another, who guarded them. I simply... I could not trust any, as I trusted you. You, I knew, would always protect the Gates, would always keep them safe, would resist the temptation to tamper - and you, are held by magics older even than I, to die, should you ever stop time, for you, with the blood of your father, hold the potential to halt the clock of life for eternity."

A heavy risk indeed, a heavy burden to bear, a power with terrible cost.

"As for Sailor Saturn..." and there is an expression on her face, one of faintest relief, as she scans the crowd again, and confirms that Saturn does not walk among them. "Saturn... can best be described as a girl cursed by Fate. She, born with the power of Silence, the power to end, with a single swing of her glaive, all that lives within our System, was feared from the moment she came to power, reviled from the moment she was known, ever at risk, ever a risk."

"You may wonder, that we could not protect a single girl, but perhaps we could have. And yet - more than this, there was also the ever-evident truth... that a girl with the power to end all life, the power to ensure a last effort to stop an enemy like Metallia and her puppet Beryl, could succeed... may hesitate, to do such a thing, if she is attached to others."

"To destroy with your own hands, everything and everyone who lives, to surrender the final hope, to decide that it is time for all to die - at your hand - is not an easy thing. It is harder, still, when you think of those you love, who will die, not by natural cause, not by the efforts of the enemy, but by your hand, the swing of your weapon."

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus lets out a sigh, a slow thing, a breath that may have been held in one way or another for countless years, for more than one lifetime. "In the end by waking Saturn I preserved the people I was directly responsible for... that is the best we could do, at the time." she says, firmly. There's a level of peace that brings that's visible, in the way her stance changes - that can be felt especially strongly by Neptune and Pluto but isn't hidden from anyone.

    She looks up herself, not really looking at what her eyes see but thinking of somewhere else, of somewhen else. Of Miranda Castle... and of Titan Castle. "I guess saying this to an AI rather than the woman herself is kind of... silly, but I don't think you made a wrong decision." Uranus admits. "I think... there was no direction which would have been fully right, because everything at that point in time was going so wrong."

    "But what is important..." Uranus says, bringing her head back to look ahead, and then looking around at the other assembled Guardians, at the Prince, at the new Knight of the Moon too "...is that we are here together now, and that we can all work together to make sure this time... things don't go wrong." Uranus says, smacking her fist into her gloved hand.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a little bit of rueful 'prime directive, huh?' on Mamoru's face, but-- something in him also relaxes, because there's nothing he could have said or done to change the reception of what they were trying to build, nothing more he could have done to try and prove them worthy, nothing he should have done differently, no one he should have found or promoted sooner...

He wants to put his arms around Usagi (he always wants to), but his hands on her shoulders will have to be enough in this time and place, and he can spare a faint smile for the recording of the Queen, ducking his head slightly.

He gaze flickers over to Haruka, and he straightens up a little as she looks around at everyone and declares their mission, and he outright grins as she smacks her fist into her palm. "Got it in one," he says, quiet but very very approving.

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
    Neptune watched and listened as the holographic Queen answered each of their questions in turn, her eyes transfixed, not quite making eye contact. She smiles, satisfied with the first part of the Queen's answer. Even Queen Serenity could make mistakes, and she could also own up to them.

    But then about Saturn, she heard the answer she knew she would. Her nostrils flared and she inhaled sharply, biting her tongue. There was no point in berating an AI for the mistakes she made. All they could do is make better choices now that they were the ones making them.

    Finding Uranus' hand again, she gives it a squeeze and nods her agreement. "Yes. Nobody's in this alone. Not this time," she agrees.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Sailor Pluto nods along to the explaination that is given to Tuxedo...as the general gist of the answer given to him is more or less what she'd suspected...though some of the details are interesting.

As is the answer to Mercury's questions that the system Castles are still likely to have survived.

As Neptune asks some questions of the Queen's image...at least partly on her behalf, Sailor Pluto blinks and looks past Uranus at the Senshi of the Sea.

And then the Queen's image is addressing her directly, so she turns back to listen to an explaination she'd largely suspected...circumstance and situation were responsible for her lonely vigil.

A series of best guesses, in the moment snap decisions, choices with no 'RIGHT' answers and only a futile effort to pick the 'LEAST WRONG' ones, and plans that were never given time to come to fruition.

When the Queen discusses Saturn, however, Pluto scowls a little before heaving a sigh and shaking her head...because, while the reasoning given IS sound and NOT without merit...

...the image of Sailor Saturn climbing from her slumber, the Silence Glaive dragging on the floor behind her as she is too soul-weary and broken to even bother holding it off the ground will forever haunt her nightmares.

A shake of her head is given to dispel the mental image...and she leans heavily on the Garnet Rod as she listens to aught else the Queen's echo says.

Naru Osaka has posed:
A Knight of Silver. Naru listens to all of the far more important answers. Her own simple quesiton is tucked in there and she smiles. "A Knight of Silver." She repeats and nods and then something strikes her. "The power is.. my own?" She's surprised by that, but she nods. Accepting that. Even if shes' going to have to think about it for a while.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The answers that Queen Serenity's shadow gives are detailed but not, complex and simple. Nothing is easy. Everything is hard. Even a woman revered as a God-Queen can make mistakes, can only make the best choices she can consider in the moment.

It's comforting, to know, honestly, that even her mother could make mistakes. She's made plenty of her own already, after all. But Usagi squeezes Mamoru's hand, as he's reassured that he is the Senshi of Earth. That there was nothing else they could have done, but what they did.

She breathes easier, as it's confirmed the people of their kingdom were not merely lost, but reborn, given over to the Earth - which makes sense, with how many people have lived on Earth...

She smiles at Naru, reaching out to grip her shoulder, to smile at the truth - it's her power, of course it is!

And then her shoulders tighten at the answers for Pluto and Saturn's fates.

"Is there a way to change Saturn's fate," she asks, not looking at anyone but the AI of her mother. "Or is she always 'cursed'?"

Queen Serenity speaks without hesitation.

"No. Saturn is the Soldier of Death and Rebirth. She will always bear the power of the Silence Glaive, which can, at the swing of her arm, end the Galaxy. When she awakens, she will ever be burdened by power - and there will always be the risk, that others will fear the nature of her power."

So it is said.

Sailor Moon nods. Honestly... she expected as much. All of them, they are what they are, right? The Puella, doomed to become Witches, should their soulgems darken. The Senshi, born to serve their duty.

Saturn, born with terrifying power, and terrible risks.

"Then we'll just have to find a way to cope, when the time comes. And probably, keep that a secret." It's maybe, flippant, her words, but that's what it comes down to, isn't it?

She looks to Sailor Uranus, to Tuxedo Kamen, to everyone gathered, and she smiles. "We've got this. Together, with all our friends, we won't let the past repeat itself. Things won't be the way they were."

"That's right, Serenity," Queen Serenity says, and her image flickers. Flickers. "You will triumph, all of you. And then - you will continue to live. That was my greatest wish... not for you to conquer your enemies, but for you to live, and be happy. To have what you could of ordinary happiness and joy. I'm so glad I could see you again. I know that the true queen... would be so glad..."

Sailor Moon's heart stops. She steps forward, horrified.

"Mother -"

"My power is running out," the hologram says quietly, "It has been, for so long. To speak with you like this... Serenity... I'm so proud of you."

And the hologram flickers, once more, and is gone. There is only the light of the crystal tower.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Squeeze back! And then the hologram is running out of power, and Mamoru takes a half-step after Usagi, his eyes wide again. "But can you-- can the Ginzuishou--" he starts with an edge of alarm in his voice, but it happens too quickly for him to even finish his sentence. "She--"

Was already dead. Another ghost, gone beyond reach.

Was proud of you all. Was proud of you, Usagi.

Believed in us and our dreams and grieved to lose them.

She was--

"I'm so sorry, Usako."

She was Serenity's mother.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon cried, of course. Of course. Queen Serenity was dead, and she had been dead for all her life, but for a few moments, she could pretend, she could hope, she could think that this hologram was -

But it doesn't matter. Serenity's mother is dead.

Is it really being orphaned, when you have a family back home?

Several hugs later?

The group collected themselves - they had accomplished half of their goal, between the Holy Sword and Mars Bow, and found more than they had anticipated, thanks to the Queen. To say they were energized, was... probably not accurate, but they were determined. In a high tower of the Moon Palace, Sailor Mercury's Sage Lyre would be reclaimed, and in a split from the main group, Sailor Jupiter's Leaves of Oak, would likewise be reclaimed from the crater of glass formed by her final assault.

To keep up spirits, and because, honestly, the Moon was now a very sad place, Sailor Moon insisted that everyone help her collect moon rocks and take pictures of the Earth and the other planets from the Moon, as well as get selfies of themselves - far away from the ruins - on the Moon.

Honestly? It helped, a little. The moon rocks were cleansed with scrupulous efforts to make sure no one had a weird allergic reaction and died from moon dust, and then -

They went home. Power lanced between their joined hands, every one of them in henshin, now, no more Disguise Pen Astronaut Suit solution necessary.

And then? They're home. Returned to Earth, a home that's theirs, a place for them all, to protect.